TSU dad Robert Leyba supports the inaugural lacrosse team, and he’s traveled a few miles to prove it—about 1,200 just last week to watch his son, Brad, a freshman, and his TSU teammates claim their first win against Hendrix College, Ark., on April 11. The Thunder followed that with a 22-4 win over Carnegie Mellon University two days later.

Leyba, from the town of Katy in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area, takes advantage of a flexible business schedule to catch some of Brad’s games, and he’s attended about five so far, from Scranton, Pa., to Kalamazoo, Mich. The 8-2 home win April 11 pitted Brad against a high school buddy, creating a fun rivalry, he said.

A Dallas recruiting trip by lacrosse coach Bryan Poole put TSU on the map for Leyba and two other Texas students playing on the first-year Thunder team. The team employs the talents of some of the country’s best high school players. Opening the season in the Eastern U.S., with its strong lacrosse tradition, tested his abilities in a positive way. “Out East, I liked playing against kids who’d played all their lives,” Brad said.

An all-around athlete, Brad started lacrosse as a high school sophomore, traveling with his team to the state playoffs in his senior year. The midfielder called lacrosse a bit like hockey and soccer, with 10-man teams including three defenders and three attackmen.

He enjoys the small town college life at TSU. “It’s nice to walk around and have people you don’t know ask you about lacrosse,” he said.

His dad enjoys TSU’s academic programs, leadership, and improved athletic opportunities. “We’re really happy to be here, and really appreciate what TSU has done for Brad this year.”